Spelling East Cree (Southern) – Boundaries

Adding a personal prefix

The personal prefixes are ᓂ, ᒋ, and ᐅ and are added to possessed nouns. Note that only ᓂ and ᒋ are added to Independent verbs. They are written joined to the word.

Nouns

Verbs

ᔒᔒᑉ

ᒥᔅᑲᒻ

ᓂᔒᔒᐱᒻ

ᓂᒥᔅᑫᓐ

ᒋᔒᔒᐱᒻ

ᒋᒥᔅᑫᓐ

ᐅᔒᔒᐱᒻᐦ

ᒥᔅᑲᒻ

ᓂᔒᔒᐱᒥᓈᓐ

ᓂᒥᔅᑫᓈᓐ

ᒋᔒᔒᐱᒥᓅ

ᒋᒥᔅᑫᓈᓅ

ᒋᔒᔒᐱᒥᐧᐋᐤ

ᒋᒥᔅᑫᓈᐧᐋᐤ

ᐅᔒᔒᐱᒥᐧᐋᐤᐦ

ᒥᔅᑲᒧᒡ

If the word begins with ᐃ then add ᓂᑎ, ᒋᑎ or ᐅᑎ.

ᐃᔅᐧᑫᐤ

ᐃᔅᐧᑳᓲ

ᓂᑎᔅᐧᑫᒻ

ᓂᑎᔅᐧᑳᓱᓐ

ᒋᑎᔅᐧᑫᒻ

ᒋᑎᔅᐧᑳᓱᓐ

ᐅᑎᔅᐧᑫᒻᐦ

If the word begins with ᐁ then add ᓂᑌ, ᒋᑌ, or ᐅᑌ.

ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑲᓐ

ᐁᑎᒋᓂᔑᓐ

ᓂᑌᒥᐦᐧᑲᓐ

ᓂᑌᑎᒋᓂᔑᓐ

ᒋᑌᒥᐦᐧᑲᓐ

ᒋᑌᑎᒋᓂᔑᓐ

ᐅᑌᒥᐦᐧᑲᓐ

ᐁᑎᒋᓂᔑᓐ

If the word begins with ᐊ then add ᓂᑕ, ᒋᑕ or ᐅᑕ.

ᐊᐧᐋᔥ

ᐊᐴ

ᓂᑕᐧᐋᔒᒻ

ᓂᑕᐱᓐ

ᒋᑕᐧᐋᔒᒻ

ᒋᑕᐱᓐ

ᐅᑕᐧᐋᔒᒻᐦ

ᐊᐴ

If the word begins with ᐋ then add ᓂᑖ, ᒋᑖ, or ᐅᑖ.

ᐋᐸᐦᐄᑲᓐ

ᐋᐸᑎᓰᐤ / ᐋᐸᑎᓲ

ᓂᑖᐸᐦᐄᑲᓐ

ᓂᑖᐸᑎᓰᓐ / ᓂᑖᐸᑎᓯᓐ

ᒋᑖᐸᐦᐄᑲᓐ

ᒋᑖᐸᑎᓰᓐ / ᒋᑖᐸᑎᓯᓐ

ᐅᑖᐸᐦᐄᑲᓐ

ᐋᐸᑎᓰᐤ / ᐋᐸᑎᓲ

If the word begins with ᐅ, then use ᓅ or ᑰ. For the ‘her/his’ third person change the short ᐅ to a long one by adding a dot ᐆ.

ᐅᑖᐹᓐ

ᐅᑎᓇᒻ

ᓅᑖᐹᓐ

ᓅᑎᓀᓐ

ᑰᑖᐹᓐ

ᑰᑎᓀᓐ

ᐆᑖᐹᓐ

If a noun begins with ᐆ then add ᓂᑑ, ᒋᑑ, or ᐅᑑ.

ᐅᐧᐊᑦ

ᓂᑐᐧᐊᑎᓈᓐ

ᒋᑐᐧᐊᑎᐧᐋᐤ

ᐅᑐᐧᐊᑎᐧᐋᐤ

If a verb begins with ᐆ then change to ᓅ or ᑰ.

ᐆᐦᒌᐤ

ᓅᐦᒌᓐ

ᑰᐦᒌᓐ

Note that it is a very common for children to use ᒎ instead of ᑰ in words traditionally beginning with ᑰ:

Traditional Cree

Modern Cree

ᑰᐦᑖᐧᐄ

ᒎᐦᑖᐧᐄ

ᑰᐦᑰᒻ

ᒎᐦᑯᒻ

ᑰᔑᒥᔥ

ᒎᔑᒥᔥ

ᑰᐦᑯᒥᔅ

ᒎᐦᑯᒥᔅ

ᑰᑖᐹᓐ

ᒎᑖᐹᓐ

ᑰᐦᒌᓐ

ᒎᐦᒌᓐ

Nouns that are already possessed do not add these prefixes, since these prefixes are already part of the word. These are mostly names of relatives and body parts and are called dependent nouns (marked nad or nid in the dictionary).

ᓂᑯᔅ

ᓂᔅᑳᑦ

ᒋᑯᔅ

ᒋᔅᑳᑦ

ᐅᑯᔅᐦ

ᐅᔅᑳᑦ

A few words are also dependent nouns that are not the names of relatives or body parts.